A Classical Marble Sarcophagus from Apollonia (Albania) and Its Reuse in Roman Imperial Times

Abstract

A marble sarcophagus from Apollonia can be considered for typological reasons as a product from Paros dated to the 5th century B.C. Petrographical analyses confirm the provenience of the marble from the quarries of that island. In Apollonia limestone sarcophagi were more frequently in use during the 6th and 5th century B.C. and, at least in their integration into an elaborate ritual, mark the social rank of the buried person. The marble sarcophagus stands at the end of this series. It was most probably reused in Roman times. A different form of burial in a funeral chamber is attested for Hellenistic Apollonia by a fragment of a kline in the museum’s storage rooms.